Tragic Hero

[kingkung]

Totally random, but I was curious about the concept of a "tragic hero" in literature, so I looked it up on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragic_hero

For anyone too lazy to check out the article, here are detailed points about what constitutes a tragic hero:

• He must suffer more than he deserves.
• He must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw.
• He must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him.
• He must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
• He must see and understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions.
• His story should arouse fear and empathy.
• Physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.
• Ideally, he should be a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him.

To me, the entire article reminded me of one specific person in particular, someone that Kings fans are very familiar with... wondering if anyone else felt the same way. Sorry to depress anyone, I just found it interesting.

 

[VF21]

Tragic heroes exist in Shakespeare, ancient Greek mythology, and too many Hollywood movies many of which are based upon Shakespeare or ancient Greek mythology.

If you're referring to Ricky Berry, I don't think anyone knows enough about him to proclaim him a tragic hero. His death by his own hand was indeed very, very said but to my knowledge no details about why he did it were ever released.

 

[kingkung]

If you're referring to Ricky Berry, I don't think anyone knows enough about him to proclaim him a tragic hero. His death by his own hand was indeed very, very said but to my knowledge no details about why he did it were ever released.

Oh, no, not Berry. I was thinking someone in more recent Kings history (who's still well alive)... maybe the connection is not as obvious as I thought.

 

[kingkung]

This is the way I see it:

• He must suffer more than he deserves. (NCAA Finals, NBA playoffs 2002-2004)
• He must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw. (a fragile knee, and some would say his mental toughness)
• He must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him. (yes, absolutely)
• He must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him. (the Timeout, coming back too early from injury, the 3 against Minny in Game 7)
• He must see and understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions. (questionable)
• His story should arouse fear and empathy. (questionable, but I empathize)
• Physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death. (knee)
• Ideally, he should be a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him. (Kings fans certainly experienced the fall during those years)

So yes, the tragic hero I had in my mind was Chris Webber.

 

[VF21]

Webber is far from a tragic hero IMHO.

He's a millionaire many times over. He has education and style; he has a good family support system. He's found something in life besides basketball to ignite his passions - his collection of African-American writings and memorabilia is among the best in the world.

Yeah, he got some bad breaks in his career but overall he's anything but a tragic hero.

 

[kingkung]

Webber is far from a tragic hero IMHO.

He's a millionaire many times over. He has education and style; he has a good family support system. He's found something in life besides basketball to ignite his passions - his collection of African-American writings and memorabilia is among the best in the world.

Yeah, he got some bad breaks in his career but overall he's anything but a tragic hero.

Points taken. I was thinking more about his basketball career. In the theater that is the NBA, he certainly fits the bill...